The Who - BBC Sessions, Volume 5: Grugahalle, Essen, Germany, 3-28-1981

I thought I was done with the Who and the BBC. But it turns out I have two more albums to share, starting with this one. Admittedly, this is only a BBC recording on a technicality. This actually was a short for the German TV show "Rockpalast," filmed in the expected location in Germany. But I found out that it was simultaneously broadcast on the BBC as well, something that happened occasionally with Rockpalast. So that makes this a BBC recording. More importantly, it's a lively concert with excellent sound quality.

Nowadays, I suppose the two Who albums done with drummer Kenny Jones ("Face Dances" in 1981 and "It's Hard" in 1982) don't get much love. The band's main songwriter Pete Townshend tends to dismiss them. But I think they get a bad rap. Townshend was in a very creative phase at the time, putting out solo albums and Who albums practically every year. Concert-wise, the band was probably better in 1981 than in 1982, when they were a little overcooked with lots of musicians on stage. 

This concert is a good mix of older, well-known songs with a few less well known ones from their latest album "Face Dances," like "The Quiet One" and "Don't Let Go the Coat."

This album is an hour and 35 minutes long.

01 talk (Who)
02 Substitute (Who)
03 I Can't Explain (Who)
04 Baba O'Reily (Who)
05 talk (Who)
06 The Quiet One (Who)
07 talk (Who)
08 Don't Let Go the Coat (Who)
09 Sister Disco (Who)
10 talk (Who)
11 You Better You Bet (Who)
12 talk (Who)
13 Drowned (Who)
14 Behind Blue Eyes (Who)
15 talk (Who)
16 Another Tricky Day (Who)
17 Pinball Wizard (Who)
18 Who Are You (Who)
19 5.15 (Who)
20 My Generation (Who)
21 Won't Get Fooled Again (Who)
22 Summertime Blues (Who)
23 Twist and Shout (Who)
24 See Me, Feel Me (Who)
25 talk (Who)

https://www.imagenetz.de/eBwB7

I could have gone for a screenshot from a video of this concert, but the quality wasn't that great. Instead, I opted for this photo, of the band in Manchester, Britain, in March 1981.